By Samira Nematollahi // DJ Sam Sam
Unable to leave their homes, musicians have been heavily impacted by the spread of the coronavirus. Some, like James Blake, have taken to Instagram Live to perform intimate, stripped down sets for their fans. Many have had to postpone their album releases because – even though the album may be done – an album release is a strategic effort that requires a lot of now unpredictable elements to be coordinated.
Charli XCX is taking this time to work on her new album how i’m feeling now, which is set to be released on May 15th. In her announcement she said that the inspiration for this album came out of wanting to remain positive during the coronavirus crisis and that for her “staying positive goes hand in hand with being creative.” This won’t be a typical album, however. She wants to be completely open with the process and so she has been keeping fans constantly updated on social media with her progress.
The "boys" songstress' first single “forever” was released on April 9th, and it was a collaboration with A.G. Cook from PC Music and BJ Burton. While developing the song, Charli posted screenshots of text conversations between her and the collaborators, snippets of instrumentals, ideas for lyrics, and hosted a zoom meeting with fans to further discuss the album’s vision. She gave fans a voice in the decision-making process by polling them on which photos she should base the artwork for “forever”. Charli is now working on a music video for “forever” which she wants fans to send video clips for. She uploaded criteria for the clips and things that she is looking for – so if you want to potentially be featured in her music video be sure to check it out!
Because the album is set to release in a little over a month, Charli has a limited time frame to churn out these songs, but that has not hampered the quality of the music. The single “forever” along with the clips she has posted of the next song, either named “i like” or “claws,” do not make obvious the fact that she is working with limited resources.
I, personally, am very excited to see where this album will go. I also am interested in seeing whether the collaborative, fan inclusive development process is something that will catch on with other artists as it is a format that I have not seen before. With many of the traditional ways that musicians interact with their fans unavailable, this innovative project could pave the way for others to do the same.
-DJ Sam Sam